Anne Stenersen has written a new FFI report on the organizational structure and ideology of the Taliban. The report is based on field research, analysis of online Taliban propaganda and a thorough review of the secondary literature. This is essential reading for anyone working Afghanistan.
One of her conclusions caught my eye: “For the time being, it looks like any attempt to negotiate with the Taliban leadership directly would serve to strengthen the insurgent movement, rather than weakening it. A more realistic approach is probably to try to weaken the Taliban’s coherence through negotiating with, and offering incentives to, low-level commanders and tribal leaders inside Afghanistan.”
3 Responses
Have any SR AQ leaders released any statement about the killing of Abu Ayub Al-Masari and Abu Omar Al-Baghdadi? It seems like there should be a media release any day now.
If there is not one what do you suppose that says about AQ’s ability to communicate or AQ’s view of AQ in Iraq and the Islamic State of Iraq?
Thanks,
Joe
Al-Qa’ida in the Islamic Maghreb, the Fajr Center, Global Islamic Media Front, Harakat al-Shabab al-Mujahideen, and an assortment of Palestinian jihadi-takfiri groups have issued statements, including Fatah al-Islam. But nothing from AQC, from what I’ve seen. Ansar al-Islam has issued a statement, as has Jaysh Abi Bakr al-Siddiq al-Salafi.
The problem with you people writing about jihad is that you study it from a political point of view only. You need to go and study Islam since it’s not allowed according to Mullah Omar and majority of Muslim scholars to negotiate with enemy unless they are out of Afghanistan. And he said that clearly in his speech and according to my knowledge he does not change what he believe in.